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Hubble get a new lease on life
http://ellegon.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12977		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Dee [ Thu May 21, 2009 4:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Hubble get a new lease on life
Wow, its hard to believe that the Hubble Telescope has spent 19 years in space! The Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Atlantis repaired the ailing telescope and it is claimed to be better than new now.

Quote:
With the Hubble Space Telescope upgraded and more powerful than ever, the orbiter soon will be looking out toward the edge of the observable universe, probing the early history of the cosmos.

The rest of the article. Click Here.

We take a lot of this kind of thing for granted but there isn't another country in the world that can do this on a sustained, almost casual basis like the US does. From the moon landings to the Voyager flights to the regular Space Shuttle missions to the Rovers on Mars, the benefits of the space program have resulted in huge technological advantages for American manufacturers. Advances in metallurgy, fabrics, insulation, nutrition, etc., which were directly attributable to the research carried out for the space program have benefited all of humanity.

Many of these benefits have resulted in the US becoming the world's only superpower. With her technology and the infrastructure to implement that technology, she was so far ahead of other countries that no one even attempted to close the gap.

I just find it absolutely incredible that any member of the government would even mention cutting into the space program.
Author:  chunkstyle [ Thu May 21, 2009 8:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Is space exploration an enumerated power of the Federal Government? It IS expensive, should we be taxed to pay for it?
Author:  mrokern [ Thu May 21, 2009 8:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Personally, it's one thing that I would gladly have added to the Constitution. The technological benefits have been great, and governments have funded exploration throughout the ages.

Wasn't it on the West Wing (yah yah, liberal bastion aside) where Rob Lowe's character, when asked why we should explore space, replied, "Because it's what's next."

It's truly what is next.

-Mark
Author:  Dee [ Thu May 21, 2009 10:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
I think Space is just another frontier to explore. When America was young, many Government sponsored expeditions set out to map and explore the interior. Government surveyors mapped the passes through the Rockies so the Transcontinental railroads could be built. Land grants along these routes allowed the railroads to build through these areas. Government surveyors mapped the rivers so that locks and dams could be built, thus furthering waterborne trade routes.

These acts of a benevolent government showed the way to the pioneers who blazed the trails that made America great.
I despair that our present and recent governments show no such foresight.
Author:  340PD [ Fri May 22, 2009 5:45 am ]
Post subject: 
I didn't go through all the links to see if this is in that particular article and I'm sorry if this is a repost from elsewhere here but this is a link to a bunch of fantastic pictures from the repair mission.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/0 ... issio.html
Author:  Jeremiah [ Fri May 22, 2009 7:37 am ]
Post subject: 
chunkstyle wrote:
Is space exploration an enumerated power of the Federal Government? It IS expensive, should we be taxed to pay for it?


To piggyback on Dee's remarks, the Lewis and Clark expedition wasn't a specifically enumerated power of the government, as per the Constitution, either. There's nothing in there about exploration, AFAIR.

So many "strict constitutionalists" miss the boat here- It would be well-nigh impossible to run a country in the 21st Century with only the specific enumerated powers granted government by the Constitution.
Author:  jdege [ Fri May 22, 2009 8:40 am ]
Post subject: 
Jeremiah wrote:
To piggyback on Dee's remarks, the Lewis and Clark expedition wasn't a specifically enumerated power of the government, as per the Constitution, either. There's nothing in there about exploration, AFAIR.
The enumerated powers only limit the power of the federal government. If it needs to be done, and it's not in the list, it needs to be done by the states.
Author:  Jeremiah [ Fri May 22, 2009 9:09 am ]
Post subject: 
jdege wrote:
Jeremiah wrote:
To piggyback on Dee's remarks, the Lewis and Clark expedition wasn't a specifically enumerated power of the government, as per the Constitution, either. There's nothing in there about exploration, AFAIR.
The enumerated powers only limit the power of the federal government. If it needs to be done, and it's not in the list, it needs to be done by the states.


Oh, I'm sure the states will get right on space exploration... :roll:
Author:  Sixstring [ Fri May 22, 2009 9:30 am ]
Post subject: 
Here is a 35 minute video showing the external cameras from the last shuttle launch. Amazing footage!

The footage at 12:10 is just wow....

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Author:  princewally [ Fri May 22, 2009 9:39 am ]
Post subject: 
Jeremiah wrote:
jdege wrote:
Jeremiah wrote:
To piggyback on Dee's remarks, the Lewis and Clark expedition wasn't a specifically enumerated power of the government, as per the Constitution, either. There's nothing in there about exploration, AFAIR.
The enumerated powers only limit the power of the federal government. If it needs to be done, and it's not in the list, it needs to be done by the states.


Oh, I'm sure the states will get right on space exploration... :roll:


Private industry can make it to space cheaper than NASA can.
Author:  Lenny7 [ Fri May 22, 2009 10:12 am ]
Post subject: 
Sixstring wrote:
Here is a 35 minute video showing the external cameras from the last shuttle launch. Amazing footage!


Sweet! THanks for posting that. I'll have to play that on the big screen tonight when the kids are around.

I got to experience a night launch one time when I was working at a power plant in Kissimmee FL back around '93. I was 6 miles from the launch and there was still quite a rumble.
Author:  SultanOfBrunei [ Fri May 22, 2009 10:26 am ]
Post subject: 
NASA should be shut down.
Space exploration should be encouraged by the Federal Gov't by doing the following:
a) Promise the full force of the Gov't in backing any land claim on any space rock.


America now-a-days is too much of a wimp to claim land and expand our territory. Instead we will work some international deal with the UN that will not benefit our nation.
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